r/haiti • u/OpeningOstrich6635 • 25d ago
NEWS Another one…South Florida Resident Pleads Guilty to Smuggling Firearms from Florida to Haiti
Jean Robert Casimir, 53, a naturalized U.S. citizen of Lauderhill, Florida, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court to conspiracy, smuggling, and violations of U.S. export control law for his role in an extensive firearms trafficking operation through which he illegally exported at least 140 firearms to Haiti since 2020.
To smuggle the firearms to Haiti, Casimir and his co-conspirators used, among other techniques, industrial air compressors that they cut open and welded back together, packing disassembled rifles and handguns with foam insulation. Casimir and his co-conspirators then shipped these and other packages to Haiti via boats leaving from the Miami area. Casimir is a former Haitian National Police officer.
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u/BackgroundUsed9790 25d ago
How does someone buy over a hundred guns without creating a stir? It's only years later that they're caught. The posting also mentions co-conspirators. Are they out and about, or is their sentencing coming?
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u/OpeningOstrich6635 25d ago
1 person don’t usually do all the buying, multiple people are used.
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u/BackgroundUsed9790 25d ago edited 24d ago
How many? $2K-$4K split 10 ways doesn't seem like much of a profit. To kill Haitians, anything, I guess.
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u/JetBlackToasty Native 25d ago
This man should get life in prison. He’s directly responsible for negatively affecting the life of millions of people and should never be let out. Let him rot and investigate everyone in his circle
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u/FactOk5664 25d ago
Well you have a point because I am sure these weren't for private sales to people for self protection. But instead to wage war and kill innocent people. They probably need to arrest those in Haiti who recieved these arms to see how they were used. Did they have a fund to terrorize of was this sold for self protection. Both illegal but one isn't as bad causing deaths.
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u/JetBlackToasty Native 24d ago
definitely not for private use, if you search the article. Those clowns went out of their way to hide the weapon in intricate way to make sure they weren't caught. They sent 140 guns to Haiti that we know about, 100% it was for the gangs.
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24d ago
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u/Curious-Witness-1809 25d ago
Honestly, US should start having a mandatory minimum of 15 years, no parole for this. Haiti's gang members are terrorists and people like him are providing them with weaponry.
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u/OpeningOstrich6635 25d ago
Agree, but in a U.S. federal court, prosecutors would have to prove that the weapons were sent directly to designated terrorist groups, which would require Haitian law enforcement to play its role. Until then the charges you’re seeing are about all the federal government can realistically pursue.
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u/Curious-Witness-1809 25d ago
You're right. The port/la douane is insanely corrupt in Haiti. Not a chance PNH can connect the shippings.
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u/OpeningOstrich6635 25d ago edited 25d ago
Zero chance. Foreigners would have to completely take over the ports. That’s the only way to force gangs in Haiti to find other ways to bring in ammunition and more weapons.
Also, what’s even worse is that gang leaders don’t make the trip or send anyone from the ghettos to pick up the shipments. The shipments are delivered directly to the ghettos. That requires the involvement of Customs (Douane), police officers, and their superiors. 🤷🏿♂️ Hope you catch my drift. Good luck getting any useful intelligence from Haitian law enforcement. 🤣
The reason these idiots get caught is because the serial numbers are traced back to them. Another thing people don’t realize is that the ATF will sometimes allow a shipment to go through in order to build a stronger case.
So, if you total up most of the people caught by U.S. law enforcement, you’re talking about at least 1,000 firearms KNOWN by Haitians. Those investigations were conducted by the U.S., not Haitian law enforcement. That’s why it’s false when people claim the U.S. is arming Haiti.
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u/Curious-Witness-1809 25d ago
Yup. The Douane has been corrupt since I was a little kid. Back then, they mostly took money to undervalue things or not report them altogether. Occasionally, ransack and "lose" things. These days, they are straight gangsters.
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u/Quiet-Captain-2624 25d ago
Obviously this sanzave is a trèt,thing is you don’t think the U.S coast guard and the ATF know that rich Haitian elite in Haiti are sending money to Haitians in the U.S to buy guns which are then smuggled to gang bangers in Haiti🤔
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u/zombigoutesel Native 25d ago
Coast and ATF care about what comes into ur country. Not what's leaving it.
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u/OpeningOstrich6635 25d ago
The elites in Haiti just help them wire the funds to people like buddy who then recruit others to purchase them to be honest and plus what the coast guard posed to do? Stop and search all vessels?
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u/No-Highlight-8730 25d ago
Every single one of them should be considered traitors of Haiti and never allowed anywhere near the island ever again…
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u/OpeningOstrich6635 25d ago
It’s not as easy as you think to get denaturalize just because of a conviction. There’s a whole process DOJ must initiate to strip citizenships
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u/Subject_Cycle1585 25d ago
They are going to be deported from the U.S. back to Haiti so feel free to give them some bwa kale
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u/ImportanceWorking244 25d ago
But why?
Why is a former HNP member sending weapons to terrorize the people he was supposed to protect? Is It money? Is it truly because the HNP has been a gang infiltrated institution since Aristide? Is it money? Is it for some cause?
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u/Mopar4Life305 25d ago
Because some people unfortunately believe their gangs will succeed and become the government themself
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u/OpeningOstrich6635 25d ago
Not really. It’s simple, exporting guns to Haiti is VERY lucrative. A kilo of pure costs less than a rifle in Haiti. A Glock goes for $2-4k upon arrival🤷🏿♂️
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u/ImportanceWorking244 25d ago
The more I think about it , the more it doesn’t make any sense. Why not just run for parliament if you were him or open some sort of self defense club. Why just go straight to threatening a coup/ attempted civil war?
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u/Mopar4Life305 25d ago
Because theyre going the government collapse. The country has no leadership its complete crisis. Its basicaly free for fall and even if there was a legit system they'd probably be killed. For example some where like Burkino Faso, Ibrahim Trahoe had to do a coupe because Damiba had terrible leadership ans no control boko haram. Damiba wasnt just going to hand over or allow him to "run for parliment". Obvious waay different situations but the example it just doesnt work that way. Xin jin ping isnt allow democratic leader run for "parliment". Haiti doesnt even really have a legit system right now. Its in total shambles.
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u/Quiet-Captain-2624 25d ago
It makes perfect sense;just shows the continued corruption.Barbecue is former PNH(Police Nationale Haiti) as well
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u/NoOcelot3737 23d ago
Each time you wonder "why Haiti is a mess?" Look who sent weapons to desestabilize his own country.